From Palm Beach to Indian River Counties, a Damaging Day of Tornadoes
At least 38 tornadoes were reported across the Sunshine State the day Hurricane Milton arrived. On average, Florida typically sees about 50 tornadoes a year.
With peak winds estimated at 140 miles per hour and a funnel width of 300 yards, a tornado started ravaging areas in Wellington, Florida last Wednesday and soon made its way through Loxahatchee Groves, The Acreage then up to Palm Beach Gardens. From approximately 4:51 PM to 5:21 PM, the tornado traveled 21 miles, causing structural and catastrophic damage to homes, barns, vehicles, and commercial buildings. A Publix grocery store in Avenir, a newer community in Palm Beach Gardens that saw over 300 homes damaged, now has a deep hole in the middle of the building. This particular tornado was responsible for seven injuries, though no human fatalities. One horse reportedly died.
Then, an outbreak of tornadoes on the Treasure Coast. One tornado stayed on the ground for 13 miles, crossing two counties with EF2 and EF3 damage. Before exiting St. Lucie County and entering Indian River County, the tornado tore apart the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, causing six fatalities and immeasurable destruction.
By the time it was over, rescue workers rushed to various locations, pushing through thick and dangerous debris, only to find the type of catastrophic damage never before seen in many of these neighborhoods. Some victims were trapped under rubble or inside vehicles. Many roads were impassable.
Those in the path of the tornadoes described it as a freight train or like a bomb going off. Roofs were gone. Windows blown out. Barns completely flattened. Cars flipped. Heavy metals twisted and snapped in half like brittle sticks. Glass everywhere. At one home, a large construction dumpster landed on top of the roof.
And there was an unmistakable randomness to it all. One street of homes in Wellington was particularly hit hard while another street nearby lay untouched. Then an unlucky home left without a roof or windows while next door neighbors on either side hadn’t a scratch. Several barns were flattened while another across the road appeared in good shape. A few homes still had Halloween decorations up, skeletons and ghosts nailed to trees. But just feet away, pine trees and live oaks were yanked from the roots, thrown like twigs across canals and backyard swimming pools.
Yet, certain areas experienced consistent and distressing damage where entire neighborhoods were affected. The magnitude of destruction in equestrian subdivision Rustic Ranches, for example, cannot be overstated. Many residents lost roofs, some lost barns and horse arenas. Some saw their paddocks destroyed. Some lost everything. Most everyone lost something.
While hurricanes will often generate tornadoes, the consensus from many Floridians up and down the east coast is that last Wednesday was an anomaly. Palm Beach County Sheriff and lifelong resident of the county, Ric Bradshaw, told WPTV that, in all his years in the area, nothing like this has happened before.
According to the National Weather Service, tornadoes produced by tropical cyclones are relatively weak and short-lived. Weak as in EF0 or EF1. But several of the tornadoes that touched down during Milton were EF3, and by most accounts, they were not short-lived.
The last hurricane to produce a tornado outbreak was Hurricane Ivan in 2004, with 120 reported over a period of three days across several states. While areas of Florida did experience some damage, it’s nothing like the widespread tornadic destruction that occurred during Hurricane Milton.
This, of course, happened on the tail of Hurricane Helene, another catastrophic storm that caused severe damage throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Needless to say, Floridians are storm-weary and anxious about what lies ahead. Some will rebuild. Some will not. Some will leave the state all together.
There is a hopeful chapter in this ongoing story: members of the community are coming together to help those who lost so much. Volunteer efforts started almost immediately after the tornados hit and will continue for the unforeseeable future. Local governments and churches are also spearheading cleanup initiatives and providing relief.
To be sure, and at the end of this story, it’s the part about neighbors helping neighbors and strangers helping strangers that will hopefully be remembered the most.
And if you feel compelled, you can help too.
Lara, did you get any damage?
So sorry, Lara, for everyone. We watched that storm with apprehension and then regretful relief as it moved toward Florida. The Houston area has been hit twice this year, once with a derecho, a sudden wind storm that delivered hurricane-force winds and barreled through central Houston and downtown... and then shortly after that by Hurricane Beryl, in which the local utility did not demonstrate great lustre in restoring power. For days, for several million people. So... looking at the horror of what the Florida coast and the South have experienced over the past month is heart-breaking. Good luck, Godspeed.